ddoug mcconnell, and we've got some great discoveries for you along the open road. doug: we'll find ancient treasures large and small, and a legacy of conservation in california's first state park, the wildest water on the west coast, joyful adventures overcoming big challenge, and fabulous photos shot from the seat of a kayak. [music] [music] doug: relics of an ancient world, redwood forests have long inspired awe and wonder. emily burns: this is exactly what the forest

looks like 5 thousand years ago, 5 million years ago. and that's tremendous. doug: these icons of california have also inspired a legacy of conservation. alex cocone: a really special place for people to come and visit, and a really special place in california and in the world. doug: and some unlikely messengers sheltered in redwood shadows. emily burns: it's plot number one. doug: tell the story of a world in transition. emily: they are telling us so much about what's happening in the forest. doug: well, this immense and ancient redwood is known as the mother of the forest here in big basin state park, california's very first state park, and home, among other things, to the world's tallest tree, south of san francisco's latitude. well, it's fun and easy to explore big basin, to be inspired by its redwoods, and to discover that they shelter other species, stories, and science you may not expect. doug: nestled in the heart of the santa cruz mountains, and just over the hill from silicon valley, big basin state park

stretches from forested summits down to the sea at waddell beach, with serene waterfalls, tiny newts, and massive trees in between. alex: i like to think of big basin as the bay area's backyard wilderness. doug: alex cocone is a california state park ranger. and he leads us along a popular and wheelchair-accessible redwood loop trail near the park's entrance. doug: so alex, you love this place. big basin is a special spot for you. alex: it is a special spot for me. it was actually in this park when i was a little kid that i decided i wanted to be a park ranger when i grew up. when i was young, my parents would take me up here to the santa cruz mountains. i fell in love with this place, i fell in love with the outdoors. doug: millions of others from near and far have also fallen in love with these big trees and beautiful forests since the park was established in 1902. doug: so alex, i mean, you have people coming here i bet from all over the world to marvel at these trees, huh?

alex: yeah, you really do. i mean, there is a weekend when i looked at the camper notice board, and there were just messages in english, french, german, farsi, arabic, japanese, and korean. and i was just like that's--you know, from all of these people all over the world that are looking to big basin-- doug: and look up these trees and they're all saying in whatever their language, "wow." doug: "wow" is right. most of us are left nearly speechless in the presence of such grandeur. the big basin is not just a natural wonder, it's also a profound cultural landmark. alex: so what we're looking at here is some of the human history of big basin. so the first people that were the stewards of big basin were the ohlone tribe of native americans. and they left a lasting impression because you can see that we've got these mortar holes. doug: literally a lasting impression. alex: yes. doug: these mortar holes were used for grinding acorns and grasses by countless generations. alex: these could be, you know, 2,000 years old, or they

could be 200 years old. it's really hard for us to know. but that legacy from the ohlone tribe of california indians stretches all the way back to then, and continues today. doug: this is a land of legacies. and the conservation legacy was launched in the summer of 1900, when a small group from the sempervirens club explored these wild woods, camped here at the base of slippery rock, and committed themselves to protecting this forest for all, forever. doug: slippery rock is this kind of a touchstone, literally, for conservation in california, for protecting our lands and for creating the state park system. alex: it is. this is where it began. it's our founding monument. doug: and looking down upon us, as it did when the ohlone were grinding acorns and the sempervirens club was camping here, is a glorious redwood and alex's favorite tree in the park.

alex: it's a beautiful tree, and it's seen so much of the history of this place, and it will continue to see some of the history of this place. doug: the sempervirens fund continues its conservation commitments to this very day. and so does save the redwoods league, which has worked to protect our redwood empire for nearly a century, and conducts and supports significant scientific research throughout the redwood range, especially related to the impacts of climate change. emily: the ferns, to me, are completely amazing. you turn over a leaf, you're going to see things you had no idea were hidden there all the time. you see insects, you see spiders, you see moths. there are salamanders and millipedes. i mean, there's just teeming with life on the forest floor. doug: emily burns is science director for save the redwoods league, and leads its fern watch project in an effort to understand how a warming and perhaps drying climate may be shaping the forest of the future.

emily: they're like the canary in the mineshaft. they really tell us something about how much water is available for all the plants to grow. doug: rainfall affects the growth and reproduction of these sword ferns. and by tracking changes, emily and her team can see the effects of the current drought. emily: only 19 centimeters. doug: and possibly predict the long-term consequences of climate change. emily: so by studying them, we have a good sense of how healthy the forest is. and it can help us figure out how to take better care of the forest. doug: thousands of volunteers are assisting this study in many redwood forests, including over 500 oakland high school students, who leave their urban world to help us all better understand the natural one they and we will be inheriting in the decades ahead. doug: you know, you have volunteers, you have students, you have even people like me. i mean, regular old people can get involved in this with you, yes? emily: yeah. even you can do just that.

i'm going to show you, i'm going to put you to work here. doug: i'll try to do no harm. emily: yeah, please, please don't hurt the ferns. doug: emily puts me to work measuring the length of each frond to determine how much water has fallen in the forest. doug: this looks like a nice long one, somehow, to me. emily: it does. doug: so i've got to measure from the very, very, very, very tip. and we're doing this in, what, centimeters, right? emily: in centimeters, yep, that's the units of science. doug: so i'm fairly close there, right? emily: that's perfect. doug: all right, that says 83 centimeters. - so this is a tall one. - that is, that's cool. emily: yeah. doug: we could each come out and volunteer, be part of all of this, and get to know the forest we love a bit better. emily: so all you need is a tape measure and a sandwich is what i say. come up for the day, spend the day, get to know the ferns, help us understand how climate change is impacting the forest. and you know what, it's a lot of fun. i can tell you're smiling. doug: i am smiling. doug: these redwood environments give us quite a lot to smile about. and the more we know about the future of ferns and the

surrounding forest, the better we can manage and nurture these natural wonders, and continue legacies of conservation many generations old. alex: it's very special to be kind of part of that tradition of being a steward of this landscape that stretches back to the ohlone tribe and has carried through today. doug: sempervirens club, all those-- - sempervirens club. - century ago. alex: the state parks, and to folks like the rangers that work here to continue supporting, nurturing, and helping this landscape, and making sure that it's still a living landscape where people can still come and enjoy it and be a part of it. doug: to find out more about visiting big basin and participating in the fern watch program, go to nbcbayarea.com/openroad. stay with us to see a slough stocked with wild wonders, find inspiration with intrepid adventurers, and come face to face with a bobcat on the water.

doug: "openroad" is made possible in part by the generous support of our founding underwriters. these public and non-profit institutions are dedicated to protecting the natural and historical treasures of the bay area and northern california, and making them accessible to all of us for all time. additional support is provided by these institutions, also committed to caring for our special environmental and historical legacies, and inviting us to join them.

doug: we've saved sanctuaries for nature all around us in northern california, precious gifts from previous generations to ours, allowing us to live with wildlife in ways and in numbers most urban regions on earth simply cannot. we don't have to travel to the ends of the earth to witness wildness on grand display in the air, on the land, and in the water. one of the most astounding can be easily seen by all of us in a place called elkhorn slough, nestled next to the bustle of highway 1, between santa cruz and monterey. bryan largay: you will see more animals than you can believe. mark silberstein: if you really want to get your finger on the pulse of the natural world, here's a place close to

home that you can do that. doug: well, there's busy highway 1, people racing between santa cruz and monterey. it's hard to believe that here at moss landing and just beyond that busy road is the elkhorn slough, hiding in plain sight, one of the great natural wonders of california being cared for by some extraordinary people. doug: the largest single concentration of sea otters in california, harbor seals by the hundreds, and 340 species of birds that we can all see up close in boats, in kayaks, and on foot. doug: nice crowd of seals over there. bryan: that's right, they're doing real well here. mark: you know, these tidal marshes really are the kind of the energetic engine that fuels a lot of the food, complex food webs in this estuary. doug: elkhorn slough is brimming with wildlife. but it's also facing a grave danger to its very existence.

these marshlands, the largest tracts between san francisco and mexico, have been literally washing away. bryan: right here, we have intact, healthy salt marsh, but in other parts of the slough, hundreds of acres have died back. doug: when moss landing harbor was created to support a fishing fleet in the 1940s, the mouth of elkhorn slough was open directly to the force of the ocean. and high tides began rushing in and out of the slough, flooding and eroding the marshlands, and carrying precious mud out to sea. the dying and disappearing marshes needed to be saved, and soon. mark: one of the solutions that we've implemented now was to bring to a more natural state that movement of hydraulic water, the tidal water, coming in and out of elkhorn slough. doug: after years of consideration by hundreds of people, the protectors of elkhorn slough installed an underwater retaining wall, a sill five feet beneath the surface at a critical location, in hopes of slowing

the destructive tides. it was a huge project conducted very carefully in a sensitive habitat. and so far, it seems to be working. bryan: and what that does is it acts like a speed bump, slowing down the water, holding it back a little bit, enough to make a difference in the rest of the estuary. doug: and you're happy with the results? bryan: oh, we're thrilled. it's working great. mark: so that sill was really a very significant step towards securing the long-term health and future of elkhorn slough. doug: elkhorn slough has survived many threats over many decades. the lessons learned in this place may be applied elsewhere in and around the slough, in hopes that the marshes here will be sustained to nurture all the residents, and all of us visitors, for generations to come. mark: one of my goals was to leave it in better shape than i found it. we're moving down that path, and it'll just keep getting better.

doug: the wild wonders of elkhorn slough are waiting for all of us to witness, on our own, on guided tours, and in a wonderful visitors' center with fascinating displays and lots of good information. to find out more about all of this, go to nbcbayarea.com/openroad. [music] doug: when we come back, a compassionate crew dedicated to bringing outdoor pleasure to people needing a bit of help, and a stealthy photographer's fantastic finds.

doug: for anybody who loves to play and have adventures in the outdoors, there's no better place on the planet than northern california. and thanks to an extraordinary organization, the outdoors are accessible to everyone, including those of us with significant physical and economic challenges to overcome. environmental traveling companions, etc, has been working wonders and changing lives for many decades. doug: and i want you to meet somebody whom i admire, respect, like an awful lot, diane poslosky, for more than 30 years the executive director of environmental traveling companions, etc. and diane, you take people out to have adventures in our beautiful environment here in northern california who might not otherwise have a chance to go do this.

and tell me what etc is all about. diane poslosky: etcetera's mission is to make the joy and challenge of outdoor adventures accessible to people with disabilities and disadvantaged youth, and inspire confidence and connection to nature and stewardship of the environment, and just have a whole lot of fun enjoying their lives. doug: to be out there with you and your gang of volunteers and supporters--and you take people into some wonderful, wonderful places. river rafting has always been a big piece of the puzzle for you. describe that. diane: well, our rafting program is our flagship program. it was how we started on the banks of the san islas river, running class 3 rivers with people who might be blind or wheelchair users, or disadvantaged inner-city youth, and just getting out there and experiencing the joy and challenge and fun of a white water river. after the san islas was dammed, we moved that program over to the south fork of the american river,

where we have a beautiful base camp right now. doug: and it really is wonderful. i mean, the adventure, the excitement, the high spirits that are out there. and if you go uphill a little ways, in the wintertime, assuming we have snow up there, you take people outdoors for big snow adventures. diane: we do. snow is the operative word. this winter, our program we call the winter program versus the cross-country ski program, but we've been doing that program for over 30 years. and taking visually impaired and developmentally delayed, and we have sit-skis for wheelchair users, and for inner-city youth, oftentimes it's the very first time they've ever seen snow or been able to throw a snowball, and it's an amazing program as well. doug: and i got to go to another one of your programs. it was kayaking right here on san francisco bay. you also do it at tomales bay. but we went with you from angel island over to sausalito, and that was a wonderful, wonderful, memorable day for me. diane: yeah, that was coming back with a group of visually impaired students, i believe. and we do have an amazing sea kayaking program here on san francisco bay, where we paddle one to multiple-day trips

over to angel island, the jewel of san francisco bay. and we also go on tomales bay. and those program--all of our programs we do in partnership with over 70 agencies and schools. and the state parks play a huge role in our partnership as well. we also have a fourth program, which is our youth leadership program, which are intensive leadership development programs primarily for inner-city teens. and it's to develop their sense of confidence and leadership skills and stewardship. doug: you do such a wonderful job with all those, diane. keep up the great work, and i'll be following you no matter where you go. diane: thanks, doug. it's great to see you today. doug: great to see you again. doug: for information about environmental traveling companions, visit nbcbayarea.com/openroad. when we come back, a fine photographer with a gentle approach to nature.

support of our founding underwriters. these public and non-profit institutions are dedicated to protecting the natural and historical treasures of the bay area and northern california, and making them accessible to all of us for all time. additional support is provided by these institutions, also committed to caring for our special environmental and historical legacies, and inviting us to join them.

doug: one of our favorite places to photograph for "openroad" is point reyes national seashore, with its wild lands, wildlife, and wide open spaces, perfect for pictures and exploration on foot and in the shell of a kayak, paddling quietly in protected waters and getting close to nature. doug: and here's somebody who is a wonderful photographer and a wonderful kayaker, and really knows point reyes, galen leeds. you are a spectacular photographer. i love looking at your stuff. and you grew up in the point reyes area. galen leeds: right. doug: you know it really, really, really well. you photograph in many ways, but you get in your kayak, you get out close to nature. so describe that. why kayaking in photography? galen: well, it started out i'd be driving along tomales bay, you know, seeing highway 1, these beautiful vistas. i realized i was always shooting from the same spot,

the same turnouts. i really wanted to find some other way where i could just experience tomales bay a little more. and so i got myself a kayak, i started paddling around, and i just started realizing how much more there is to see from a kayak than you can ever really see from land. there's so many different types of birds, marine life, seals, otters. and i realized that also so much of this, when you're actually photographing from a kayak, you're right down there, like, much closer to the eye level of the birds, much closer to the eye level of the animals, and you just get such a different perspective on them. it's just a very nice way to see all the wildlife out there. doug: it really, really is. i mean, as you're describing this, i mean, i love it too because, you know, you're moving quietly. it's just you and the kayak and the water. nature comes around you in many ways. you don't have to seek it out. galen: no, you get to just kind of cruise, glide through it, and you can really use the wind and the tides to just kind of drift you right in close to animals when you want to see them, and while staying very still. you know, if you get the wind right behind you, the wind will blow the kayak right up to what you're trying to photograph and

right on by without ever disturbing the bird, right, or the otter right as it's eating a fish, or the bobcat as it's cruising the shores. doug: it really, really--i mean, you have such wonderful photographs, you know, from your times doing this. what are some of your favorite memories out there, some of the pictures that come to mind as you remember your times out there? galen: well, there's a lot of times where, late afternoon, i've found there's these certain sort of days where, if you just paddle the shores really quietly, the bobcats, they just kind of come down to the shore. and you wouldn't think that kayaking is where you would see a bobcat. but you'll just kind of be cruising along quietly, and suddenly you'll pass around a point, and a bobcat will pass around the point, and there you are just kind of pausing, just kind of a little quiet moment. another great thing is bobcats, you know, they don't really know what a kayak is, and so they're not nearly as spooked seeing someone in a kayak as they would someone walking along a trail. it doesn't quite enter their radar in the same way. doug: and you have some wonderful photographs, getting up close to seals and marine mammals.

and again, you're not encroaching on their territory. you let them come to you. galen: yeah, i let them come to me, and i try and just drift by them, try and be quiet, you know, just--i just try and let them do their thing, just be an observer. you know, me out on the water, them on the shore. or else if it's like a seal, seals are so curious. like, if you're paddling along, they love to just pop up behind you and just kind of trail right along, hoping that you don't see them. doug: you know what, but you have seen them, you photograph them. galen, thank you so much for your great photographs, for your tips, and we'll see you on the water. - sounds great. - thanks, thanks. galen: thank you. doug: for information about galen leeds and his photography, and all of the places we visited and people we met in this show, go to nbcbayarea.com/openroad. doug: well, that's our show. i hope you enjoyed it and will join us next time right here for more discoveries along the open road, i'm doug mcconnell. we'll see you soon.

doug: we'll leave you with more of galen leeds' photos. [music] [music]

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